Transformation
by Nixie West
Summary: When Ashley decides to give Ellie a makeover, Ellie's a bit less than overjoyed. However, the new look is a lot better than anyone expected, especially Ellie. Who would've thought that one makeover could make such a dramatic change in her lifestyle?
1. Thursday

(A/N: Okay, this is my first fic, so I don't really know how this is going to go. Reviews would be appreciated, even if they're just to tell me that I made a mistake. I'm hoping to learn from this, and if feedback is good, hopefully I'll get the confidence to continue...)  
  
[Disclaimer: I don't own anything in this story, it all belongs to the creators of Degrassi]  
  
Ashley Kerwin and her best friend, Ellie Nash, were wandering aimlessly down the hallways of Degrassi Community School before their first class started. Cradling her books in her arms, Ashley watched all of the underclassmen (including her stepbrother, Toby) rush to their lockers in the sophomore hallway. Now in 11th grade, she was glad she could escape that madness and find her own locker in the juniors' hallway. "So, you're coming to my party on Saturday, right?" Ashley asked Ellie, turning to face her.  
  
"For the millionth time, of course," Ellie said, causing both of them to laugh. "I wouldn't miss it, Ash. Don't worry."  
  
"Sorry, I forgot," Ash said, ducking her head slightly in an apology. "With all of the planning I've been doing, it's hard to remember who all said they were coming."  
  
"No prob, Ash, but planning? What's there to plan? Snacks to eat, music to play, people to invite... It doesn't seem all that hard to me. The hardest part seems to be setting up, and if you need help, I'm right here." Ellie said, grinning.  
  
"Thanks, El. That'd be great," Ash said, meaning it. Not even a second later, the bell rang, signaling the start of class. "Woops, looks like we're late for Kwan's class."  
  
"Uh, Ash? Tell me something I don't know," Ellie teased. "Heaven forbid we're not in our seats on time." Her sarcastic comment caused both of them to turn around and head for their class. A few seconds later they were at the door, walking in while trying not to catch too much attention.  
  
"Ashley, Ellie, how nice of you to join us," Mrs. Kwan said, greeting them in the doorway. "Now, if you'd please take your seats so I may start class, that would be wonderful." Shutting the door as the girls sat down, apologizing in unison, Ms. Kwan turned back to them. "See me after class." The two nodded and opened their books, ready to work.  
  
After talking to Ms. Kwan, they left for their next classes. Before they knew it, it was their lunch period. Finding an open table inside the tiny cafeteria, they sat down and scanned the crowd of students around them. Marco Del Rossi, an ex-boyfriend of Ellie's, was sitting over across the room with Paige Michalchuk, Spinner Mason, Jimmy Brooks, and Hazel Aden. Ellie, who never got along really well with Paige, had declined the offers a long time ago to sit at their table. Ashley, who only last year had renewed her friendship with the popular blond cheerleader and her friends, had decided to stick with Ellie. She used the excuse that she preferred listening to civilized conversation instead of the latest gossip making it's way around the school.  
  
Ash's stepbrother was sitting near Paige's table, next to sophomores J.T. Yorke and Emma Nelson. The seat next to Emma was empty, not very surprising. It's usual occupant, Manny Santos, had had a falling out with her then-time best friend and made new friends, sitting at their tables instead. Just the thought of Manny had angered Ashley ever since she'd found out last year that her boyfriend at the time, Craig Manning, had been cheating on her with the sophomore (who was a freshman at the time). Trying to get her mind off of her, Ashley turned to Ellie and asked, "So, what are you planning on wearing Saturday?"  
  
Ellie glanced up at Ashley, an annoyed expression on her face. "Well, I was going to wear my favorite pink dress, you know, the one with all the lacy frills? And then I was going to wear my pearl necklace and earrings with a big white bow in my hair," she replied sarcastically. "Come on, Ash, get real. As if I plan my outfits for the weekend."  
  
"I'm being real, El. But you have to do me a favor," Ash added, an odd glint in her eyes.  
  
"What? I'm already helping to set up." She stuck her plastic spork into the plastic cup full of cherry flavored sherbet, contemplating whether or not it was edible.  
  
"Let me give you a makeover beforehand," Ash prompted, trying not to sound too excited. In truth, Ashley had been hoping to give Ellie one for quite a while. Now that the new school year had started, she'd figured that the makeover would be perfect for her party.  
  
"Uh, no way. Sorry, Ash, but I'm not the makeover kind of girl." She took a bite of the sherbet and then immediately wished she hadn't. Spitting it out into her napkin, she grabbed her bottle of juice and unscrewed the cap as fast as she could. After gulping down half of the bottle's contents, the taste still lingered in her mouth. "Sherbet, yeah right. More like frozen pesticides..." Ashley laughed, a brilliant idea popping into her head.  
  
"Either let me give you a makeover or I'll go tell Sheila what you really think of the sherbet," Ash challenged. Both girls looked towards the lunch line to see the head of lunch personnel yelling at a student who'd seemingly been complaining about the corn. Seeing Ellie's face, she let out an inner sigh of relief.  
  
"Fine," Ellie grumbled, shoving the sherbet at Ash. "But I'm warning you, if I end up looking like Paige, you're dead! And it's only for one night, got it?" Ash agreed, a satisfied smile playing across her face.  
  
"By the time I'm done with you, people won't believe that you're still Ellie," Ash said.  
  
Ellie glared up at her, smashing the Styrofoam plate into pieces with her spork as she responded, "That's what I'm afraid of."   
  
"Oh, come on, El! I'm good at doing makeup, and I know the perfect outfit for you! You'll love it, I promise."  
  
"If you're talking about that bright yellow tank top with the blue butterfly on it, you're on your own. No way am I wearing that… thing." Emphasizing the last word, Ash's warm smile started to fade.  
  
"I thought you said you liked that shirt!" she accused, tossing her plate into the nearest garbage can.  
  
"Correction. I said you looked good in that shirt. Me, I'm a completely different person. Besides, yellow isn't my color. You know that, so don't even pretend not to." They both smiled again, causing the ice to melt. "So, if I don't like it, what do I get in return? This isn't going to be a one-sided favor."  
  
"I already told you, you're gonna look great. But, if we have to make a deal, I guess I'll go for it. If you don't like my makeover, you can do my hair any way you want and I'll wear it to school on Monday." Ash smiled, satisfied with her thinking.  
  
"Uh uh, no way, that's so not fair!" Ellie argued. "You're giving me a complete makeover, I should be able to do the same to you! Is it a deal or not?"  
  
Sighing, Ashley turned to her, holding out her hand to shake on it. "Deal." 


	2. The Makeover

(A/N: Okay, I was EXTREMELY shocked by all of the reviews I recieved for the first chapter alone... Thank you to Little Miss Lena, Kate, Bren Eldrid Bera, jewlz555, Princess Cimorene, weallmadeofstars, Lain in the Wired, bobby, and Ellectra for reviewing, it meant a lot. As for the screw up on Emma's last name, I didn't catch that when I was editting, and I apologize. I replaced the chapter with a corrected version, and hopefully it'll show up... In response to jewlz555's question, yes, I'm POSITIVE that it's my first fic, and I'm very, very surprised that so many people liked it. Once again, thank you! Unfortunately, I've been lacking inspiration lately, so this chapter is amazingly short for my usual standards... Sorry, but I hope you all enjoy!)  
  
[Disclaimer: I don't own anything about or concerning Degrassi.]  
  
Ellie looked up at the clock on Ashley's wall, seeing it was only 6:00 PM. In another two hours, people would be arriving and the fun would begin. After spending the last few hours getting set up, Ellie and Ashley were both feeling a little bit more excited than they'd been a few hours ago. The CDs were ready in the stereo, snacks were set out, the main room was cleaned so that people could either move around or sit down and talk. All in all, it looked as if everything was done. Everything except the one thing Ellie had been dreading since Thursday... Her makeover. Unfortunately for her, Ashley hadn't forgotten. "Hey, now that we're done setting up, I think it's time," Ashley said, smiling as she walked into her bedroom. Grumbling, Ellie followed, plopping herself onto the bed and staring into the vanity on Ashley's wall. "Now, I've narrowed it down to three shirts and either two pairs of jeans or two skirts. Which do you prefer?" Ashley asked, opening the door concealing her closet.  
  
"Jeans, definitely," Ellie said, watching as Ash pulled out the two pairs. One pair of jeans were dark blue flares with a sandblasted look on the thighs and cuffs. The other pair was a black hiphugger with grommets and crossties going up the sides of the legs about six inches abover the knees. "I'm thinking the black ones. The other pair is too preppy-looking. Sorry, but I'm not turning into a Miss Universe."  
  
"Okay, black jeans it is. Now, for your shirt choices." Scrambling through her closet, Ash took out the three choices, one long-sleeved and the other two T-shirts. The long sleeved shirt was light blue with bell sleeves, accented with darker blue ribbons on the sleeves, neckline, and the hem of the shirt. Thinking that it was too warm for that, Ellie shook her head as Ash placed it back into her closet. The first T-shirt Ash showed her was camoflauge-green and low cut. The cuffs were sewn to look as if they'd been rolled up, and the ends were tied in a knot, reminding El of an outfit she once saw Britney Spears wearing.  
  
With that last thought, she turned to Ashley and said, "No way. Not on your life." Sighing and rolling her eyes, Ash put that shirt away and shoved the last choice at Ellie.  
  
"Since you were so picky, now you HAVE to wear this one," Ashley said. "Not that I mind. I think it'll look great on you. Now go try it on!" Looking down at it, she grimaced. It was light purple with black stripes, not her favorite color, but her only option. "Oh, and I almost forgot!" Ashely walked over to the foot of the bed and handed a pair of platform-heeled black slip-on shoes. Rolling her eyes, Ellie picked up the articles of clothing and trudged down the hallway and into the bathroom, changing quickly.  
  
"Uh, Ash? I think you're missing part of your shirt," Ellie said, pointing to her bare shoulders. Laughing, Ash shook her head.  
  
"It's an off-the-shoulder kind. You look great, El!" Turning to face the mirror, Ellie looked herself over. Even though she felt kind of stupid, she didn't think she looked half as bad as she imagined. "Now it's time for hair and makeup!" Sighing, Ellie walked over to the vanity and sat down in the chair in front of it. Behind her, Ashley was getting out a giant bag of cosmetics and a few things to do her hair with. A few minutes later, Ashley was behind Ellie and undoing her braided pigtails. Once all the braids were out, Ellie's hair had a wavy texture to it. Ashley grabbed a brush and combed through the auburn-colored locks, then took out a container of light purple eye shadow. "Close your eyes," Ash instructed as you put a layer of the powder over Ellie's lids. They spent the next half hour putting on more makeup, including dark purple eyeliner, pink-tinted lipgloss, mascara, and even a little blush. Looking in the mirror, Ellie could hardly believe it was her in the reflection. "So, do you like it?"  
  
"Uh, you're not gonna believe this," Ellie began. "But, actually, I do." Laughing, they sat down on Ashley's bed and talked for the remainder of the time until the guests would arrive... 


End file.
